This invention relates to gloves worn on the hands, and more particularly to gloves used in activities that are benefited by a grip-enhancing surface covering at least a portion of the palm and/or finger regions.
Various types of work and athletic gloves are used to assist in maximizing a person""s use of their hands. Generally gloves tend to improve the control that a user has over objects as well as help the user avoid blisters and other physical damage to the hands. Several examples of when gloves can be used to increase a person""s control over an object include: a bowling ball glove, a baseball batting glove, a golf glove, driving gloves, and work gloves.
Numerous available gloves are made of materials that help protect the user""s hands from injury but have minimal or even deleterious effects on the user""s grip. These gloves tend to be of a thicker more durable material, but have little or no control-enhancing material to increase the user""s control over gripped objects.
Other available gloves have a frictional material at locations where the user""s hand engages objects. The frictional material helps create a controlling effect on the object, but is ineffective if the user shifts his or her hand and the frictional material is disengaged from the surface of the object.
An excellent example of these shortcomings is seen in bowling ball gloves. Several available bowling ball gloves assist the user in maintaining the proper hand position, but do not improve the contact performance where the bowler""s hand engages the bowling ball.
Further, other available bowling ball gloves have a frictional material at locations where the user""s hand engages the bowling ball. The frictional material is typically a smooth rubber surface or a rough sand-paper like surface. The frictional material helps create a controlling effect on the item gripped, but is ineffective if the user slightly shifts his or her hand and the frictional material is disengaged from surface of the item.
It is with these shortcomings in mind that the instant invention was developed.